Fixing a Broken Family
by psychokitty3
Summary: When the last adult in the family dies, Wyatt, Chris, and their little sis Mel, and the rest of the family, go back in time to save him. But, they not only have to deal with their problems, but the problems of the CO's in the present! chap 7 done
1. The Strange Halliwell School Day

AN: This has nothing to do with my other two fics. I will still be working on my other fics, but I just decided to start this one too, since I got the idea. I know future fics have been done a lot, but this one is different, trust me. Also, you will find out powers, who is who's kid, and all that other info as the story goes along. For the first couple of chapters, I will be going back and forth between the present and the future. I will be labeling, but please tell me if you are confused! Oh, and, for those of you who have read my other fics, you know that I am obsessed with music. I will be having very small clips of songs at the beginning of each chapter. So, happy reading!  
Setting: The time in the present take place when Chris is only 2 months old, the time in the future is the year 2019, or, 15 years into the future.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, though I really, really wish I did. But, I don't. Oh, well. But, I can tell you what I DO own. I own the plot, Mel, Trish, Alex, Charlie, Haleigh, Peyton, Roxi, and anyone else you may not recognize from the show. Chapter 1 (future):  
  
.......  
  
Try to tell me what I shouldn't do  
You should know by now I won't listen to you  
Walk around with my hands up in the air  
'Cause I don't care  
  
.......  
  
A girl suddenly appeared in a janitor's closet at a high school in San Francisco. She had long, brunette hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was about 5'3 and, as a good way to put it, well developed. She looked at the digital watch on her left wrist and sighed. After a little bit, two other teens suddenly appeared, both male. One was tall, muscular, with curly, dirty blonde hair that ran down to his shoulders and piercing blue eyes. The other was tall, lanky, with straight brown hair that wasn't too long in length. He looked down at the girl anxiously.  
  
"How long was it that time, Mel?" he asked. "Thirty-one second, boys." Mel replied, looking at the timer on her watch. "Yes!" The two said, and high-fived. Mel looked at them quizzically. "What are you two so happy about?" she asked. "Don't you remember our time yesterday?" the brunette asked, looking at the blonde. "Thirty-two seconds!" the blonde said, "Chris and I improved by a second!" he said happily. "Yeah, but you two are still slower than me." Mel said mockingly. "Well, it's not our fault that glimmering is faster than orbing!" Wyatt said. Glimmering is a more advanced form of tele-porting than orbing is. It is made up of multi-colored sparkly things, instead of just white and blue. "Lower your voice, Wyatt! Someone might come in here, wondering what three siblings are doing in an empty classroom!" Mel hissed. "Fine, sis, but I don't think he'll wonder why I'm in here." Chris said. "Oh, yeah, you got busted making out with Bianca in here, didn't you?" Wyatt asked. "Yup!" Chris said proudly.  
  
"Chris, that's nothing to be proud of. You need to start putting your act together if you're going to keep your job at the record store. You know how hard it was for you to get that job, considering your reputation." Mel scolded. Chris just rolled his eyes. "How many times is she going to tell me this?" Chris whispered to Wyatt. "And don't think I didn't hear that, Christopher Perry Halliwell." Mel said. Chris paled a bit. Mel only called him by his first name when she was really pissed. "As I was saying, you really need to keep that job. I mean, there are only our uncle's full time job and you two's part time jobs that keeps our family going. You know we need the money to support all ten of us." "Mel, I thought we went through this. You are my older sister, not my younger sister." Chris said. "Yeah, by only eleven months." Mel pointed out. "And, we ARE in the same grade." she added. "Yeah, because you skipped fourth grade." Chris said. "Well, you could have too if you worked hard enough." Mel said. "Mel, I was a kid, I didn't work hard then." "Yeah, and you don't work hard now."  
  
"Okay." Wyatt said, catching his bickering siblings' attention. "Can you two PLEASE cut it out? This is not the time to argue." "Sorry, Wyatt, I just didn't get much sleep last night." Mel said, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall. "Why?" Wyatt and Chris asked. Chris bickered with his sister, but she was still his little sister. "Roxi had a nightmare last night." Mel replied. Roxi was the three's fifteen month old cousin. "It took me two hours to finally get her back to sleep." "Oh, ouch." Wyatt said. "Can you remind me again why you agreed to share a room with her?" Chris asked. "Because, I was the only one not sharing a room." Mel stated. "Oh, yeah. You didn't start sharing a room until a bit over a year ago." Chris said. Mel just nodded sadly. "Um, don't we have a math test today, Mel?" Wyatt asked, quickly changing the subject. They didn't talk about what happened that day a bit over a year ago. "Yeah, we do." Mel answered. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. You two are in the same math class." Chris remembered. "Yeah. That's why I don't have math with you, remember, smart one?" Mel asked sarcastically. "Oh, nice." Chris said. "But, you don't have P.E. with me either, remember?" "Yeah, but I'm on the tennis team. Practice is instead of P.E., remember?" Mel said. "Yeah, but why did you agree to be on the team, again?" Chris asked her. "Two reasons. One, the coach really wanted me to be on the team. And two, it's during school, so it doesn't interfere with my duties, both the duties to take care of the younger ones, and the" she lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "Magical ones."  
  
"Guys, as much as I am enjoying the conversation between you two," Wyatt said. "I think it would be best to get out of this closet. I mean, school starts in about two minutes." "Oh, crap, it does?" Mel asked. "I gotta go!" she said, and ran out. "Hey, don't you have the same first period as her?" Wyatt asked Chris after she left. "Yeah, unfortunately." Chris said. Wyatt hit him playfully. "Well, you would think so too if your teachers kept asking you why you're not more like your younger sister." Chris said. "Well, they wouldn't have to ask that if you used your smarts for something besides thinking of new ways to get into trouble." Wyatt said. "Yada yada yada, I've heard this too many times. I'm outta here, even if that means actually getting to class on time." Chris said, heading out the door. Wyatt rolled his eyes, sighed, and followed his younger brother out. It would be another boring day at school.  
  
.......  
  
"Ready, Mel?"  
  
It was near the end of the last period of the day. It was P.E. for most, but tennis for a few. Mel was practicing with her only best friend on the tennis team, Maria, who was about to serve the ball. "Maria, you aren't supposed to ask that." Mel said. "Yeah, well, you do it for me." Maria said. "Yeah, because you kept complaining that you weren't ready when I served the ball." Mel pointed out. "Well, I- oh my God!" Maria said, looking towards the track. "What?" Mel asked. "Isn't that your brother?" Maria asked, staring at the track, which was behind Mel. "Which one?" Mel asked. She wanted to know what to expect. "The reject." Maria said. "He isn't a reject, Maria. He's a really great brother." Mel said angrily. She loved Chris, and hated when people insulted him. "Okay, whatever, but I still think that you should see what is happening behind you." Maria said. Mel sighed, turned around, and her mouth opened. There was Chris, beating the crap out of some of the popular jocks, with the P.E. coach trying to break them up. "Ugh. Chris!" Mel shouted, dropping her tennis racket. She headed towards the fight.  
  
"Christopher!" she shouted, as she got even closer to the brawl. Everyone turned in her direction, the jocks and Chris all stopping what they were doing. Some of the boys had a smile creep over their faces. Mel, despite her Chris' reputation, was the most popular girl in school. All the guys flirted with her, but she was taken. She was actually dating Brent, the captain of the basketball team, who was one of the few really nice and sweet jocks. "Break it up!" she shouted, getting between the nearest boy and Chris. "You are coming with me." she said, grabbing onto Chris' ear.  
  
"Ah, ah! Jeezes, Mel, what did you do that for?!?" Chris said as soon as they were out of earshot of everyone else. "YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT I DID THAT FOR!" Mel fumed. "Chris, you know not to get into so many fights. Were you even listening to what I said this morning?" she asked. Chris remained silent, but responded when she showed that it was not a rhetorical question. "Um... no. But that was only because you tell that to me at least once a week." Chris explained. "Well, if you listened, you wouldn't have to hear it that much. Look, I know that you are a kick-ass kind of guy, you have showed that in your fights with Demonstrators, but you really have to lay off the hand-to-hand combat with the jocks. I mean, they're about three times your size!" Mel said. "Well, we've taken on Demonstrators a lot bigger and badder than the jocks at school." Chris argued. "Well, then don't come crying to me when your cockiness gets you into trouble some day." Mel said, then turned off to the courts.  
  
After she left, Chris's friends, Bianca, Freddy, and Louis, came over to him. "Great job, man!" Freddy said, hitting him playfully on the back. "You sure kicked those guys' asses!" Louis said, smiling. "My hero." Bianca said, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Yeah, I just hope Ms. Popularity didn't give you another one of her speeches." Freddy said disgustedly. "Oh, come on, guys, you just don't know her." Chris said, defending her. "Oh, and she did give me a miniature one, but she also almost ripped my ear off." he added, rubbing the ear that had turned bright red. "Whoa, bud, how the hell did she do that?" Louis asked, looking at his ear. "Well, she may be small, but she's a lot stronger than you might think." Chris said, and took a glance over at Bianca. She was the only one that knew what Chris REALLY meant by that comment, since she was magical as well.  
  
Bianca used to be an assassin which, but she was turned good by her love for Chris. They were both only fifteen, but that didn't matter. They loved each other. Bianca had actually helped them in some of their vanquishes, and spent time at the Manor. So, she got to know Mel well, and the two became fast friends. Bianca's place was a good safe haven if they couldn't be at the Manor or their uncle's house.  
  
"Why are you two looking at each other?" Freddy asked suspiciously. "Oh," Chris said, stammering. "Well, I-" BRING BRING BRING! "Wow, that's the bell!" Chris said, and he and Bianca quickly picked up their things and began running towards the school. Chris had to meet Mel and Wyatt, and since both him and Bianca worked at the record store, she came with him. "Talk about saved by the bell." she whispered as the two ran towards the janitor's closet.  
  
.......  
  
"About time, you two." Mel said as the two entered the closet. "Well, it's not our fault that we were the farthest away from the janitor's closet!" Chris said defensively. "Cut it." Wyatt demanded, looking back and forth between the two. "Fine." Mel said. "But, I have to tell you something about yesterday's demon attack." Mel said in a whisper. "What?" Chris asked. He had been the one to flip through the book of shadows for information on the demon. "Well, I figured out how he could sneak up on us like that." Mel said. "How? I mean, isn't his power too steal powers from witches?" Bianca asked. She had been there 'studying' with Chris when the demon attacked. "Yeah, but he acquires powers from witches, so all his powers aren't in the book." Wyatt pointed out. "Oh, yeah." Bianca said, leaning into Chris.  
  
"ANYWAY," Mel continued. "I figured out one of his powers. Invisibility. That's how he could sneak up on us without us SEEING him!" "That would make sense." Chris said, a small smile on his face. "Why are you smiling, Chris? Wouldn't invisibility make it hard for us to vanquish him?" Bianca asked. "Yeah, but we can now be prepared, and keep our ears open." Wyatt pointed out. "So, we shouldn't be listening to loud music until we vanquish him?" Chris asked sadly. "Yeah, I'm sorry too, bro." Mel said, patting her brother's shoulder. She and her brother both loved music, any kind at all.  
  
"Well," she continued, looking at her watch. "I better go pick up the little ones." "Don't you think the triplets are a little old for you to come pick them up?" Chris asked. "No, I'm not picking up our little sisters. I'm picking up the twins and Roxi from the magical nannie." Mel said. "And besides, the triplets have tai-bo today. Be home by 7 if you want dinner." she added, then glimmered out.  
  
"Well, I better be heading to the rec. center. I'm giving swimming lessons in about ten minutes." Wyatt said, looking at his watch, and he orbed out. "Well, we better be heading to the record store, then." Bianca said, looking at Chris. "Yeah. I don't want Mel yelling at me again." Chris said. He took Bianca's hand, and orbed the two to their job.  
  
.......  
  
AN: Gasp! I actually wrote a long chapter! I rarely do that! Tee hee. The song clip at the beginning is from FREAK OUT by Avril Lavigne. Please review! 


	2. The New Demon

AN: Remember, the time in the present, Chris is just over two months old.  
  
Chapter 2 (present):  
  
.......  
  
When I saw the break of day  
I wish that I could fly away  
Instead of kneeling in the sand  
Catching teardrops in my hand  
  
.......  
  
Piper was standing by the stove, nervously making pancakes for her and her sisters to eat for breakfast. She had already fed Wyatt and Chris, and they were playing in the playpen. Her mind should have been on her cooking, but it kept wondering to one person. Leo. He was still an Elder. He had filed a resignation, but, as usual, the Elders took forever deciding. Which meant that Piper couldn't get back together with him yet. Not only she couldn't, but she wouldn't. Even though he wanted to quit, that didn't mean the Elders would except it. Piper didn't want to set herself up for another heartbreak. She had almost died of a broken heart when Leo first became an Elder.  
  
But, that didn't stop her from doing what she had done the night before. She had slept with Leo, again. It was the second time the two had slept together since the divorce. The last time, Leo had been dying, but this time, it just HAPPENED. Phoebe and Paige had both been on dates, so Piper had been home alone with the two boys. She had just put them to bed, when Leo came down to visit them. The rest was just a blur to Piper, everything had happened so fast. At one moment, she and Leo had just looked into each others eyes, the next, she had woken up in the middle of the night, with Leo lying in her bed beside her. Her waking up had woken him up, and he had left hurriedly, both of them stammering as he got dressed and orbed out. 'Did he regret it?' Piper wondered as she was cooking her specialty pancakes. 'Did he not want to do it? Does he love me any more?'  
  
Piper's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone coming into the kitchen. Piper looked up and saw Phoebe, one eye closed, and her other half open. "Ugh." Phoebe grunted, before grabbing the nearest cup of coffee. "Good morning to you, too." Piper said sarcastically. "You're right, it is a good morning!" Paige said cheerily as she walked into the kitchen, a grin on her face. "Someone had a good time last night." Piper said, noticing the certain glow on her face. "So did I." Phoebe said, the caffeine beginning to enter her system. 'And so did I.' Piper thought. 'But I shouldn't have.' she added to herself, thinking about it.  
  
"So, now that you know our nights, how was yours, Piper?" Paige asked. "I put the kids to bed, then went to bed myself. You know, the work at the club has tired me out, as well as Chris." Piper said. She wasn't exactly lying. That was how she had felt originally. Paige eyed her sister suspiciously, sensing that what she said wasn't exactly true. Piper noticed, and quickly changed the subject. "So, don't you two have work?" Piper asked. "I'm starting my new temp at ten." Paige said. "Yeah, and I don't have to go to the paper until ten, either. I got my advice column done early, for once." Phoebe said. "The demons have been laying off lately, haven't they?" Piper said. "Yeah, we've only had one attack since Chris was born." Paige said, giving a plate to Piper. Piper took her younger sister's hint, and put a few of the finished pancakes on the plate. "Thanks, sis!" Paige said, sitting at the table.  
  
Phoebe looked up. "Where are my favorite nephews?" she asked, looking around. She had noticed the absence of noise in the room. "They're playing in their playpen in the next room." Piper said, sitting down with her pancakes, and handing Phoebe hers. "Oh, okay." Phoebe said, picking up the day's copy of The Bay Mirror. "You read your own paper?" Paige asked. "Yeah, of course I do. I just skip over the Ask Phoebe section, since I already know what it says." Phoebe said, looking at the headline. "Aw, dammit!" she said, looking at it. "What?" her two sister asked, bewildered. "So much for being demon-free." she said, and showed the front page to her sisters. 'Sixth Murder of a Serial Killer' the headline read. The first paragraph of the article read:  
  
Early this morning, a body was found by the headquarters of this very newspaper. The victim was Sharon Taylor. The other victims have been Jasmine Utamyaki, found outside the nightclub P3, Joyce Kennedy, found outside the law firm of Jerico and Mistletoe, Denny MacKlintok, found outside Bob's Supermarket, Neptunne Lazinski, found outside Blue Harrison's Music Store, and Samuel Hiredit, found outside Taylor's Tailoring. These murders are believed to be the work of a serial killer due to similarities in the deaths. All the victims were stabbed in the chest from behind, and killed on a full moon. They also all had the same occult symbol carved onto their chests.  
  
"Creepy, ain't it?." Phoebe asked after the sisters had finished. "I completely agree. I remember when that body was found outside P3. It was a nightmare." Piper said, getting a headache just thinking about it. "You guys." Paige said, a look of shock on her face. "What?" "The law firm, music store, supermarket, and tailoring were places I've temped." Paige said. "And it's the newspaper I work at." Phoebe said, eyes widening. "And my nightclub." Piper said.  
  
Phoebe looked down the few paragraphs, and found what she was looking for. "The rest of the article and a picture of the symbol can be found on page 10A." she read, and flipped to the page, her sisters looking over her shoulder. Sure enough, on page 10A, there was a medium-sized picture of the symbol. The girls gasped. It was the triquetra. "Oh my God." Paige whispered. "Who would use the triquetra for evil? I mean, it's the sign of us, the sign of good witches, the Charmed Ones, the power of three." Phoebe said. "I don't know, but this definitely proved that this is demonic, and related to us in some way." Piper said. She then groaned. "Oh, great! Another demon who wants to kill us." Piper added. "You're probably right, Piper. But what I'm concerned about is why Daryll hasn't contacted us about it yet." Paige said. Just a few weeks ago, the girls had saved Sheila from a random demon attack, so Daryll had decided to help them again. That was the only demon attack they'd had in a while.  
  
Just then, two things happened. The doorbell rang, and Chris began crying in the other room. "So much for Daryll not coming." Paige said, as she and Phoebe headed towards the door. Piper was going to check on her sons.  
  
.......  
  
"Hey, Daryll!" Phoebe greeted as she opened the door. "Hey girls." he returned the greeting. "Daryll, why don't you come in?" Paige invited, pulling Phoebe out of the way.  
  
When the three were settled in the conservatory, Daryll asked "Where's Piper?" "I'm right here." came a call from the doorway. The three looked over and saw Piper, carrying a giggling Chris. "He just wanted me to hold him." Piper replied, sitting on the couch next to Phoebe. "So, are you here about the article in the paper?" Paige asked, getting right to the point. "Yes, I am." Daryll said. "How did you know about that?" "We DO read the paper, Daryll. We're not that weird." Phoebe replied with a chuckle. "Okay, well, one of those knife-thingies was left at the most recent scene." Daryll said, pulling an atheme out from his pocket, in a neat little plastic bag. "Yup, definitely demonic." Phoebe said, taking the knife from Daryll.  
  
"So, should I tell the guys to lay off the case?" Daryll asked. "Yeah, Daryll." Piper said. "We know that the demon or warlock or whatever it is, is after us, so we can handle it." Piper said, a flare of anger coming up inside her. 'Just when our lives were going well.' she thought. "But, if the guys don't lay off, could you bring any other evidence to us, Daryll?" Phoebe asked. "I never know what might trigger a premonition." "Okay." Daryll said, getting up. He was almost out of the room when he stopped, and turned around. "Would pictures help?" he asked. "Of what? The victims?" Paige asked disgustedly. She didn't really know if she wanted to see what the new force of evil was capable of. "The victims, the weapon, the crime scenes, all evidence, and all the things the photographer is required to take pictures of." Daryll said, pulling a manila folder out of his coat pocket. "You know, Daryll, I think that might just help." Phoebe said, taking the folder. "Well, thank you girls." Daryll said, and headed out the door.  
  
Paige then glanced at the newly-fixed grandfather clock in the hallway, and gasped. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "What?" Phoebe asked. "I just saw what time it is!" Paige yelled, heading toward the door. "I am SO gonna be late for my temp!" she yelled, and ran out the door. "Oh, no! I'm supposed to be at work the same time she is!" Phoebe yelled, and ran to the door. "Pheebs, keys!" Piper yelled after her sisters. 'I'd like to see Phoebe start without them.' Piper thought with a chuckle. "Oh, thanks!" Phoebe said, running back in and taking her keys off the table. "Bye, Piper! By Chrissy!" Phoebe yelled as she jetted away.  
  
"Your Auntie Phoebe is silly. You know that, right?" Piper cooed to little Chris. He gave a little giggle. "I see you do." she said.  
  
.......  
  
It was about two hours later, and Piper was exhausted. 'Taking care of two kids is tough.' she thought as she walked into the conservatory. She had been playing with Wyatt and Chris ever since her sisters left, and she had just finished putting them down for naps. She put the baby monitor on the table, and got settled on the couch. 'Oh, what to do now?' she thought, then smiled. 'I'll read my book. It always helps me relax.' she thought, and picked up her current reading book, POPPED by Carol Higgins Clark. It was the sixth book in a mystery series that she liked. It was an easy read, but it always helped her relax. Well, almost always.  
  
This time, her thought kept drifting back to the attacks that she would start investigating as soon as her sisters got home. 'Why did a demon have to attack NOW?!?" Piper wondered. 'I mean, I have a big gig this weekend! Matchbox 20 is coming to play at P3!' Piper thought. 'But, the damn demon had to come and ruin my blissful week!' She felt a surge of anger rush through her, and, suddenly, her book went up in flames.  
  
.......  
  
AN: I know, this chapter is a lot shorter than the last one, but less stuff had to be in this! Well, um, the clip at the beginning is from DON'T KNOW WHY by Nora Jones. Please review! 


	3. The Last Straw

AN: I know, I took forever to update, but I'm doing it now, so please forgive me! Also, I'm not saying the names of Phoebe and Paige's future mates just 'cause. This is kind of when the plot really begins, though the last chapter did it a little bit. Also, glimmering is the only way to get into the magic school without going through that weird door thing. At least, that's true in this story.  
  
Winter Blaze - Oh, um... yeah. But, that's given away early, so it's not like it will ruin the story. Also, do the math. Thanks for reviewing (you were the first one for this fic)  
HollyShadow - Tee hee, that made me laugh. Oh, and thanks, and your welcome. I'll try to keep that up, and update my other fic too!  
OTHCharmedFreak - Thanks!  
piperleo4eva - thanks, and I know that I haven't updated in a while, I just have been really busy  
  
.......  
  
It's just one more day  
No one said there would be rain again  
Won't blame it on myself, yeah  
I'll blame it on the weatherman  
  
.......  
  
Mel glimmered into the magic school, and entered the daycare. She walked up to the daycare teacher. "Hello, ma'am." Mel said. "Oh, hello darling." the elderly lady said happily. It always cheered her to have Mel come around every day. "I'm here to pick up the little ones, as usual." Mel said with a smile. "Alright, dear, all three are in the next room." the lady said, directing Mel in the direction of the art room.  
  
Mel walked into the room, and two little kids immediately ran up to her. They were her little three-year-old cousins, Haleigh and Peyton Halliwell. Although the two were twins, they didn't look too much alike. Haleigh's auburn curls and big brown eyes were a big contrast to Peyton's dark brown hair and big green eyes. Also, Peyton was about 3 inches taller than his sister, even though she was about ten minutes older than he was. These qualities really made Peyton look like his older cousin, Chris. Their mother was Mel's late Aunt Phoebe, and there father was Mel's 'Pop'. He was the only adult relative of Mel that was still alive.  
  
"Mel!" Haleigh shouted. "Look at my pwitty pic-ture!" she said, holding up a bunch of colored squiggles on a piece of paper. "Oh, that is such a pretty picture!" Mel said, looking at it. "Look at mine, Mel!" Peyton said, and held up his too. "Oh, you two are such good artists!" Mel said, folding both pictures delicately and putting them in her jean pocket. She always put the day's picture on the refrigerator at their house, which was next door to the Manor. "Now, guys, I have to get Roxi, okay?" Mel said to the twins. "Otay." they said.  
  
Mel got up and went to the area that younger kids played in. She immediately spotted her youngest cousin, Roxi, who was only fifteen months. She was pretty easy to spot, as she was the palest kid in the group. Roxi had inherited a lot of her mother's features, including her pale skin and dark hair. Her mom was Mel's late Aunt Paige, and her father Mel's late Uncle. "Meh!" Roxi shouted, and then smiled. She couldn't quite talk yet, and only knew a few decipherable words. "Hey, Roxi!" Mel said, and picked her up. Roxi couldn't walk very well either, as she was so young. Roxi giggled again.  
  
Peyton and Haleigh then ran over, and grabbed on to Mel's legs. "Ah we going home?" Haleigh asked. She and Peyton both couldn't quite pronounce their R's yet. "Yes, we are." Mel answered. "But you two both know that I can't glimmer with you two on my legs. Grab my hand, please." She then shifted Roxi to one arm and held out her newly free hand for the twins to grab on to. They did, and Mel glimmered the four of them to the Manor.  
  
.......  
  
"Why did we go heah, Mel?" Peyton asked when they glimmered into Roxi and Mel's room at the Manor. They normally went directly to the twin's house. "Because, Peypey, Roxi here looks really tired. It's nappy time!" Mel said the last part in a baby voice to Roxi, who was rubbing her eyes. The twins then left the room to play with some of the toys in the triplet's room.  
  
As Mel was putting Roxi to bed, she kept thinking about the room. She and Roxi's room used to be her parents' room. Mel shuddered a bit. It was weird thinking of both her parents at the same time, even so far afterwards. A huge rush of anger, sadness, betrayal, and grief washed over her. She couldn't help thinking of her fateful fifth birthday. The day the triplets were born. The day her mother died. The day her father left. The day that everything changed forever.  
  
Her mother, she missed her so much. She had known her for only five years, but she felt close to her mother from the stories that her aunts told. And her father, the asshole. He left. He just upped and left. Mel would never forgive him, never.  
  
"Mel, is it time to go home yet?" Mel turned around, and there were Peyton and Haleigh standing in the doorway. She turned back to the crib, and found that Roxi was asleep. "Um... yeah." she said, walking over to the three-year-olds. She picked them up, one per arm, and glimmered over to the next house over.  
  
.......  
  
The three arrived in the kitchen in the twin's house a few seconds later. Mel let go of the two, but they stayed in the air. They both had the power of levitation. They both headed over to the kitchen table, and sat in their favorite chairs. Mel grabbed the graham cracker box, and took out six. She gave three to Haleigh, and three to Peyton. They began eating, and Mel cleared her throat. They stopped in mid-bite. "Now, what do you say?" Mel asked. "Thank you, Mel!" they chorused. "Good." Mel said, and turned away to fix her own snack.  
  
It was important for her to teach the younger ones manners, because there was no one else to do it. Well, at least no other female. She was the oldest woman in the family still alive, and she was just fourteen. Wyatt, Chris, and the twin's father were great to all the kids, but they were male. They all needed a female, mother-like figure in their lives, and Mel was the only one available. She could barely remember a time when she didn't play mother, because she had started the moment her parents were no more. Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige had done a lot of mothering to the triplets, but they were also still aunts. They would wake up to the triplet's cries, and find five-year-old Mel taking care of them when they got to the room.  
  
She was walking through the house, and she came to the family room. She walked up to a seven-shelf glass case, housing different types of pictures on each shelf. The top shelf held pictures of Aunt Phoebe on her wedding day. The next shelf held pictures of the twins, from when they were just born to only a couple of weeks earlier. Four shelves down held pictures of Wyatt, Chris, herself, and the triplets as they were growing up. Some of the ones of when Mel and her brothers were younger had holes in them, where their father was cut out. The last shelf held pictures of Phoebe's wedding. The middle three were the most important to the family. The top of the three held pictures of Phoebe, when she was younger, alone, and with her husband and children. The last of the three held pictures of Paige, when she was younger, alone, or with her husband. There was only one picture with both Roxi and Paige in it, and that was taken on the day she was born. The middle shelf was the oldest of the shelves, the only one that Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige had done themselves, nine years earlier. It held pictures of Piper, her mother. There were a few pictures of when she was younger, some pictures of her alone, some on her own wedding day, and some with her husband and children, the husband cut out. In the middle of that middle shelf was a picture of all three sisters, Piper in the middle. It was the last picture of all three of them together. It was taken when Piper was pregnant with the triplets. She looked like she was about to have a baby, when she was only about 3 months pregnant.  
  
Mel then reached down inside the front of her shirt a few seconds, and pulled out the end of her necklace. She opened up the heart-shaped silver locket to reveal a picture of her mother on one side, and a picture of her mother with her aunts on the other side. She felt a tear slide down her cheek. She missed them all so much.  
  
She turned away from the case, knowing she could break down if she looked at it much longer. She went over to the conservatory, but stopped when she saw the couch. Her eyes widened, and mouth dropped. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She closed her eyes, trying to make it go away. When she opened them again, it was still there. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. But, she knew she had to believe it. She had to believe that her uncle, the last adult to take care of them. She had to believe it, as she found herself looking at his dead body, laid on the couch.  
  
.......  
  
AN: Oh no! Boohoo. But, it's important to the story. Um... review, please! The song bit in the beginning is from BLAME IT ON THE WEATHERMAN by BWitched! 


	4. The New Power

AN: I apologize in advance for the really short chapter, but I'll try to update even quicker to make up for it! And, I wanted to get it done before the Olympics started in my area. Oh, did any of you see Paul Hamm win the gold in gymnastics! That was cool! Oh, and I am American, just to let you know. Also, about the 'Russian Element' in gymnastics on the pommel horse, in the words of my announcer 'You just grab and keep on squeezing.' Isn't that the funniest thing?  
  
piperleo4eva - Yes, poor Mel. Oh, and those two questions will be answered later, and thanks so much!  
HollyShadow - Oh, you'll see how he died this chapter! I totally agree with you on the men thing.  
winter blaze - Oh, you wondered who sang that? Oh, yeah! It was on the end of the fifth season premiere, wasn't it? Oh, and thanks!  
charmed-aussie - Oh, yeah. I just realized that I haven't put those in yet. Um, you'll find them out next chapter, yup! Thanks for the review!  
  
Chapter 4 (present):  
  
.......  
  
My world's on fire  
It's more than I can handle  
Tap into the water  
And try to bring my share  
  
....  
  
Piper dropped the book immediately. She stood up quickly, and looked around. She saw no demons, and that puzzled her. 'Who, besides demons, would have fire power?' Piper thought. She looked down, and she gasped. Her hands were on FIRE.  
  
Piper immediately panicked. She pressed her hands to her clothes to smother the fire, but when she pulled them away, they were still alit. She shook and shook her hands, trying to somehow blow out the fire. After about ten seconds of doing so, she stopped shaking her hands, and looked up. Many things were either frozen, blown up, or frozen in the middle of blowing up. "Oh, this is getting me nowhere." she groaned aloud. She looked down at her hands again, and realized that THEY DIDN'T HURT. This made her even more confused. "Leo!" she called, and then gasped. It would be way too awkward for him to come after last night.  
  
Suddenly, blue-and-white glowing bubbles appeared, announcing the arrival of Leo. Piper put her shaking head in her still-burning hands. Leo looked around, and saw the messy room. He then saw Piper, sitting on a couch, right near a small fire. "Piper, what..." Leo started. "Happened?" Piper finished. "Go get my sisters. Don't ask, just go." she instructed, her head still in her hands. Leo left to retrieve Phoebe and Paige without a word more.  
  
When Piper could here no more movement, she looked up. She noted all the damage in the room. "My sisters are going to love me." she murmured sarcastically. She looked at the burning book. 'If only I could touch the fire extinguisher.' Piper thought, as she looked at everything. 'Or, better yet, if only I could touch anything.' she added in her mind. Then, something sparked in her mind. She rubbed her hands together, to see if that would get rid of the flames. She pulled her hands away, and they were still on fire. "Great, just great." she said to herself, as she ran her fingers through her hair.  
  
Just then, Leo came back, with her sisters in tow. He left immediately afterwards, to go check with the Elders. "What the hell happened here?" Phoebe asked. She and Paige were looking around the room in awe. "It looks like a demon with some serious power attacked." Paige said, investigating a plant frozen in mid-explosion. "Oh my God, did it?" Phoebe asked. "No." Piper said simply. "What?!?" Phoebe and Paige asked in unison. "Um... hello? Look over here." Piper said, grabbing her sisters' attention. The two looked at her hands, and their mouths fell open. "What the..." "Yup. My freakin' powers are on the fritz!" Piper exclaimed, extremely frustrated.  
  
Just then, Leo orbed into the room. "I checked with the Elders." he stated. "And, they say that it's a new power. But..." "What?" Piper interrupted. "You weren't supposed to get it for a while." Leo finished. "What? Then how the hell did I get it now? And, did they say how to put the damn flames out?" Piper asked. "They don't know, or they wouldn't tell me. I don't know which. For either. I think you're supposed to figure it out for yourself."  
  
"Oh, great." Piper said sarcastically, turning away from Leo and towards her sisters. No matter how mad she was right then, she still felt awkward around him. "Have you tried putting water on them?" Paige suggested. Piper looked at her with an 'are you serious?' look on her face. "Paige, I can't touch anything." Piper said, clapping her hands together, and keeping them there. "Do you really think I would have been able to get into the kitchen or bathroom without setting the room on fire?" As she said 'room', Piper let her right hand slide, so the palms were still against each other, but the heel of her right hand was on top of where her fingers started on her left hand.  
  
"Sorry, Piper." Paige said, a bit intimidated. "It's just kind of hard when your sister has flames coming out of her hands." "Oh, I'm sorry, Paige. I'm just a little frustrated." Piper apologized, reaching up to bring her hand through her hair again. Phoebe, Paige, and Leo stared at her hands again. "What?" Piper asked, noticing their looks. She then followed their gaze, and looked at her hands. There weren't flames anymore. "How did this happen?" she asked, looking at everyone else. She just got blank, unknowing stares.  
  
Suddenly, they heard a crash from upstairs. "Boys!" All four looked at each other, bewildered. They had no clue who that voice was coming from, but they knew where. It was coming from the attic, and the voice was definitely female. They began creeping their way up the stairs, not knowing what awaited them in the attic.  
  
....  
  
AN: Again, I apologize for the incredibly short chapter, but I couldn't think of anything else to write! Also, I bet you can't guess who said 'Boys!' Note the sarcasm. The next chapter should come soon, as I have it's shape and stuff in my mind. Please review, and the bit at the beginning is from World on Fire by Sarah McLachlan! 


	5. The Problem, Solution, and Problem Again

AN: I have only a little grief in here because I really suck at writing sad stuff. Also, in this chapter you will finally be introduced to the triplets! Oh, and when thinking about Haleigh, think little orphan Annie from the newer version for the hair. Oh, I hope you have happy reading!  
  
charmed-aussie - Thanks!  
HollyShadow - Okay, nice guesses. You will see WHY this chapter!  
Winter Blaze - Thanks!  
piperleo4eva - Yes, scary fire power! Ya! Oh, and thanks for the review!  
Magical Princess - Thank you so much! Also, very cool pen name!  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
T:T:T  
  
We all know there's always something tearing you apart  
It's always so much longer then you counted on  
And it hits you so much harder than you thought  
But you don't worry, you don't worry, 'cause you got soul.  
  
T:T:T  
  
"Oh my God." Mel murmured to herself. She ran over to her uncle's body, her beloved uncle's body. She put her hand on his neck, to check for a pulse. There was none. Also, the skin was cold, so she knew that there was no chance of healing him. She looked down, and the triquetra was carved into his chest. Mel's eyes watered up. 'Is this some kind of sick joke?' she thought. 'Are the demons trying to remind us all of our mothers' deaths? Don't they think we've suffered enough, that they're evil enough, that they interfere with our lives enough? Don't they think that they should leave us at least one adult?' Despite her willing, a tear escaped her eyes. Then another. Soon, there was a river of tears running down her face. She just knelt there, keeping her hand on her uncles hand, weeping for him, for everyone in her family, and what her remaining family would have to go through.  
  
"Peyton, that's my gwam cwakah!" Haleigh's voice rang from the kitchen. That knocked Mel to her senses. 'The kids.' she thought. 'Roxi!' She quickly glimmered out of the room and into her room at the Manor. Roxi was sleeping peacefully in her crib, but Mel didn't want to take the chance of a demon attacking her, too. So, she grabbed the peacefully sleeping baby, and orbed into the kitchen, where Haleigh and Peyton were eating a split graham cracker. The two looked up and smiled.  
  
"We sare!" Peyton said, indicating the two halves of graham cracker. Mel forced a smile. "That's great, you two. But, snack time is over. I think that a little quiet time is in order." Mel said. The twins didn't have naps any more, but they had a time during the day in which they would play quietly, watch a little kid video, or just rest. "Okay!" Haleigh said, and leapt off the chair. She headed towards the living room, but Mel yelled out "Haleigh, how about I take you two up there. You two and Roxi. How about that?" "Otay." Haleigh said, and she and Peyton ran over to Mel. Haleigh levitated and sat on Mel's ready free arm, and Peyton levitated to grab on to her back. Once the two were safely on, she glimmered up to the twin's shared room. They weren't old enough to have their own rooms yet, so they shared one, even though they were different genders. "Okay, you two just stay in here." Mel said, putting the still-sleeping Roxi on Haleigh's bed. "Otay." the twins said, and the two headed towards their little art area. Mel sighed, and glimmered back into the living room.  
  
Her eyes again filled with tears when she saw her uncle's body. She walked over, and closed his empty eyes. She then covered him with the wool blanket draped over the side of a nearby chair. She knew she had to let the others know, right away. It didn't matter that they were in the middle of something. She knew that they had to think of some way to cope, some way to live, and maybe some way to fix it. "Wyatt! Chris! Trish! Alex! Charlie!" she yelled, calling for each of her siblings in age order. Mel wiped the tears from her eyes, and blew her nose. She didn't want to show any signs that she had been crying to her five siblings.  
  
As soon as she threw her tissue into the trash can in the living room, a girl shimmered in. The girl had straight, brunette hair that was ended just above her shoulders. It was styled to have a small flip in the back. She had pale blue eyes, and was about a foot shorter than Mel. "Mel, what's wrong? What happened?" the girl said, looking at her older sister's face. "Alex, I called everyone else, too, so I'm waiting until they come." Mel said, trying to stay as calm as possible. She knew that she'd have to be strong for the others. Alex decided to stay quiet, as she had only seen her sister like this a few times before, and all those times she had bad news.  
  
As if on cue, Wyatt, Chris, and two other girls all orbed into the room. One of the girls had very long, chestnut hair and intense blue eyes. The other girl had dirty blonde hair about half a foot past her shoulders, and deep, chocolate eyes. They were both about the same height as Alex. "Mel, this better be good." Chris said, his voice fading away as he noticed the look in his younger sister's eyes. "Guys," Mel said. "Our uncle, he's, he's... dead."  
  
There was a moment of silence in which the five let the information sink in. "What?" the blonde girl asked. "Charlie, he's dead." Mel said, pointing to the blanket with her head down in an attempt to hide her watering eyes. "Oh my God." the chestnut brunette said, slowly sinking to the ground. "Trish, it's okay. It's gonna be okay." Mel said, kneeling down to pull her younger sister into a comforting hug. Trish gratefully accepted the embrace, and cried on her older sister's shoulder while Mel gently stroked her back. Soon, the other twins, Alex and Charlie, joined into the hug, crying. 'This is too much for nine-year-olds to handle.' Mel thought sadly. She looked up at her older brothers to see how they were coping. They still seemed to be in somewhat of a shock. But, their eyes said it all. They were full of sadness, grief and pain. They knew that their was no one left, that it was up to them to support themselves. To support their family.  
  
T:T:T  
  
Chris was laying in his bed, in his room. Everyone was grieving the loss of their uncle. Well, not everyone. Mel had insisted that the youngest three not find out about it until the next day, as she wanted the twins to have one more carefree day. Roxi wouldn't understand, so that wasn't a problem. Mel had also sent everyone to bed after their early dinner, insisting that they all needed rest. No one argued, as they wanted time to themselves, to think about what on earth they were going to do. Mel had moved the twins' beds into her and Roxi's large room, because none of the older kids had felt comfortable with the two of them being at the house alone, since they didn't have active powers and were only three.  
  
Chris took his mind off those thoughts and looked over at his older brother's bed. Wyatt wasn't asleep either, he was reading a car magazine. But, Chris didn't blame him. It was only 9 o'clock at night! Chris looked away from him, and to the wall in front of him, on his side of the room. It was covered in posters of bad boys and punk bands. He was thinking of one of his favorite songs by the band Humpback Pixies, CROCKS DON'T LIE, when he heard a bang from the attic. "Dammit!" he heard someone whisper loudly. The voice sounded female to Chris, but he didn't know who it was. He looked over at Wyatt to see his older brother's intense blue eyes looking right back into his green ones. They were both befuddled, bewildered, and bemused. "Wanna go check it out?" Wyatt asked, putting down his magazine. Chris just nodded, and the two jumped noiselessly out of their beds. They ran tiptoed quickly out the door, down the hall, and up the stairs to the attack. When they opened the door, they were greeted with a surprise.  
  
Mel was standing in front of a smoking pot, frowning. There were ingredients scattered everywhere on the table the pot was on, and there was some potion on the floor and nearby wall. Mel had some potion stains on her shirt. Also, the Book of Shadows was open and right by Mel, within reading sight. "Mel, what the hell are you doing?" Wyatt asked, looking at the mess in the attic. Mel looked up surprised, just realizing that they were there. Her expression quickly changed to frustration. "What does it look like I'm doing, jock boy? I'm trying to make a potion for me to keep my powers. But, it's not working."  
  
"Why would you make a potion to keep your powers? I mean, you have them, don't you?" Chris asked, completely oblivious to his little sister's plan. "Yeah, I have my powers NOW, but I won't thirteen hours ago." Mel said, checking over the Book again. "Wait, you don't mean..." Wyatt started. "Mel, it's dangerous! I don't want you getting hurt." Chris said, taking a few steps toward her. "I'm sorry, Chris." Mel said. "But, I am not going to let this family fall apart any more. We need an adult in the house, and the only way to do that is to stop our uncle from being killed. And the only way to do that is to go back in time to stop it." "But, Mel..." the two boys started. But, Mel put up her hand to stop them. "And, I don't care what you say. I'll even lock you in the crystal cage if you try to stop me. Now, are you in or are you out?"  
  
The two looked at each other. "I'm in." Chris said, moving towards Mel and the potion. She looked at him in surprise. "Come on, Mel! We both know that you can't make potions for beans, so it'd be much safer if I help you. And, it might be kind of fun. I've never time traveled before. Well, I have, but that was my alternate self." Chris said. Their aunts had told the three of them the story of other-world Chris when Chris was ten and old enough to understand and handle it. Mel had found herself insulted that she had not existed in that future, as she would have helped Chris beat Evil Wyatt. "Wait, you're what?" Wyatt asked. The younger two always thought he was a bit of a worrywart. "You can't be serious!" he added looking between the two. He couldn't believe they were seriously going to go back to the morning. "Well, we are." Mel said, and took out a piece of paper and pencil from a nearby shelf. She sucked at making potions, but she was the master of spells.  
  
Chris looked at the recipe in the Book of Shadows and the attempted potion. "Whoa, Mel, you totally messed up the potion." he commented, looking at the contents of the pot. "Well, don't you think I know that, Chrissy Boy? I mean, it's not supposed to explode if it's drinkable. What do you take me for, an idiot?" she asked, looking up from what she was writing. "No, but sometimes you act like one." Chris retorted. "Okay." Wyatt said, stopping their little fight before it progressed too far. The two immediately stopped bickering and looked at their older brother, whom neither realized was still in the room. "I'll go too." he said. They both opened their mouths, surprised. "I'll go to make sure that you two don't kill each other." he said, and headed over to to where Mel was. "Is there any other spell that needs to be written?" he asked. "Yeah. I'm working on the spell that goes with the potion that Chris is making. YOU can work on the spell that will be used in sending us back in time." Mel said, then she turned to her other brother. "Oh, Chris, there needs to be another potion to bring us back. Four vials of it need to be thrown on the floor in the four directions." she added. "Do I have to use the recipe in the book?" Chris asked. "Because I really don't want to." "Fine, don't. I know you can whip up some pretty good potions." Mel replied. The three then set to work on their tasks.  
  
T:T:T  
  
"Okay, I'm done, Wyatt. You?"  
  
It was about two hours later, and Chris was putting the top on the final vial. Wyatt finished writing one letter, and said "Yeah, I am. Time to call Mel." Mel had finished her spell about half an hour earlier, and was getting ready for the fighting. Chris had asked her why she had to, and she had said that she needed to kick some ass, and she wasn't wearing an ass-kicking outfit. "Do we have to bring her?" Chris asked jokingly. "Yes, you do have to bring me." came Mel's voice from the doorway.  
  
The two boys looked turned to the door to the attic. Mel was standing there with an expression on her face that said 'Don't even think about it'. She was wearing a dark jean jacket, dark jeans, and a red wine-colored camisole. She pulled out an atheme from her waist, and said "I'm ready." "You have an atheme?" Wyatt asked. "Yeah. It's just in case our spell and potion don't work." Mel said simply, like she said it every day. "You boys ready?" she asked. They both nodded. "Okay, let's get this over with." Wyatt said. "Oh, stop being such a killjoy, bro." Chris said, hitting his brother on the back. "Ah, jeezes! That hurt, Chris!" Wyatt said, reaching back to rub the spot Chris had smacked. Mel just rolled her eyes. 'And Wyatt says Chris and I fight too much.' she thought.  
  
"Okay, enough. Let's go. I don't know about you two, but I would really like to save our uncle's life." she said, and grabbed the spell and vials used to keep their powers. Wyatt grabbed his spell, and Chris grabbed the remaining bottles. "Ready, you two?" Chris asked. They nodded, and the three linked elbows, as they didn't have free hands. Wyatt began reading the spell.  
  
We ask our ancestors  
And powers of great  
To help us stop  
Our uncle's fate  
  
(vial one thrown north)  
  
We go through time  
And time will tell  
If we can save  
The Halliwell  
  
(vial two thrown east)  
  
The landing place  
Will keep to here  
So our loved ones  
Will be near  
  
(vial three thrown south)  
  
It will take cleverness  
Vigilance, and cun  
But turn back time  
To whence this was begun  
  
(vial four thrown west)  
  
Suddenly, the three felt like they were spinning. They spun faster, and faster, and faster. They were spinning so fast that they were being pulled in all directions. They felt as if it went on any longer, they would explode!  
  
But, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. They regained their balance, and then heard someone say "What the heck was that?" They looked up. Charlie, Trish, and Alex were lying in a heap in one part of the room, and Haleigh, Peyton, and Roxi were sound asleep in the middle of the floor. Mel quickly grew furious. "Boys!" she yelled at the confused boys. They looked at her sheepishly, worriedly. But, it had dawned on all three of them. They had accidentally brought the others with them.  
  
T:T:T  
  
AN: Yay! A long chapter. I know, that spell sucked, but it was the first thing that came to my head. Please forgive me! Anyway, the blurb at the beginning is from SOUL by Matchbox Twenty. The song really rocks! 


	6. The Meeting

AN: Sorry for the delay! I have major writer's block!  
  
piperleo4eva - Yup, they did! Oh, and thanks for the review!  
Magical Princess - Teehee.. Thanks!  
lilqt4lyf620 - Thanks, and you will find out soon enough!  
Born2act - Thanks! Also, thank you for all the compliments, it really brightens my day!  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
(6)(6)  
  
Nobody gets too much heaven no more  
It's much harder to come by, I'm waiting in line  
Nobody gets too much love anymore  
It's as high as a mountain, and harder to climb  
  
(6)(6)  
  
"Guys, what the heck are we doing here?" Trish asked. The triplets had gotten themselves off the floor, and were rubbing their aching parts that were hurt in the fall. Mel had a calm Roxi in her arms, and a frightened Peyton and terrified Haleigh grabbing on her legs. Chris and Wyatt were just slowly backing away from everyone, not wanting to incur the wrath of their younger sisters, especially the oldest of them. "That is a good question." Mel said through gritted teeth, glaring at her brothers. If looks could kill, then Chris and Wyatt would have been dead. "We didn't mean to!" the two said in unison, slinking further away from their furious younger sister.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Charlie asked, looking at her three oldest siblings with a deep curiosity. "Well, your moronic brothers here," Mel said, indicating Wyatt and Chris, "Made a spell and potion that sent all of us back in time." "It was your idea!" Chris said defensively. "Yeah, but I didn't create the stuff that sent us back!" Mel responded. "Why were you trying to go back in time?" the bewildered triplets said in unison. "To save... someone." Wyatt said, eyeing the twins. When the triplets looked oddly at him, he mouthed 'uncle'. They just nodded, and Alex began to get a little teary-eyed. "Oh, it's okay, honey." Mel said, beckoning Alex over. She ran over, cuddling into her older sister's now occupied arm. Trish and Charlie came over as well, leaning against their older sister. The boys, seeing that Mel couldn't use her powers against them now, came over behind the group.  
  
Just as they became a huddled mass, the attic door burst open. Everyone looked at the door. There, in the doorway, stood the surprised and motionless Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo.  
  
T:T:T  
  
After a moment of staring at each other, Mel said "I can't handle this!" and threw up her hand. Everyone in the room froze. Well, everyone except Mel, Piper, and Alex. Piper looked at her sisters and ex-husband, stunned. She stepped in front of Phoebe. "Hello? Phoebe? Are you there?" she asked, frantically waving her hand in front of her younger sister's face. "It won't work." said a voice from behind her. Piper turned to face the only other two people not frozen, Mel and Alex. By then, Mel had put Roxi down and pulled the twins off her legs. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, looking frightened at the two. She had never met anyone who could freeze good witches before. "That's a good question. But, a better one is: How are your children doing?" Mel said with an evil smirk.  
  
Piper felt as if someone had ripped her heart out. She immediately began fearing for her sons' lives. She looked back at her sisters and Leo, and then looked back at the two girls in front of her. She didn't want to leave her family alone with these... whoever they were, but she wanted to make sure her sons were safe. After a short moment, her maternal instincts told her what choice to make, and she left the attic and headed down the stairs.  
  
After Piper was out of earshot, Alex turned to Mel and asked "What did you do that for?" "Well, I had to say SOMETHING to get her out of here so we could talk." Mel said defensively. She then waved her hand, and Wyatt and Chris immediately unfroze. They looked around, startled at the sudden change in scenery. Then, they both realized what happened. "Mel!" Chris said, annoyed, "You froze time again!" "How observant of you." Mel replied sarcastically. "Something else you need to observe is that you two didn't bring all of us back to the time our uncle died. You brought us years back. Nine years, at least!" Mel fumed. "You two were completely irresponsible! You messed this whole thing up! You-"  
  
Mel stopped there. She then dropped her voice and said "You allowed us to see our mother again." Alex turned to her then, her eyes beginning to water. "Our... our mother? She's here?" she asked quietly. She had never met her mother before. Mel turned to her little sister, her own eyes beginning to water. She just stroked her little sister's short brown hair, and smiled. "Yeah, that was mom, the one who didn't freeze." Mel said, her voice strained a bit. "But," Wyatt said, getting into protective older brother mode. "Mom's here, and she doesn't look pregnant. That means that the triplets don't exist yet." "That means that we're at least ten years back." Chris said, his voice emotionless. 'Now is not the time to cry.' he thought. "We better see who exists." he added. "But, how do we do that?" Wyatt asked. "First, we do this." Mel said, and waved her hand yet again.  
  
Trish and Charlie unfroze. They looked around, seeing everything different. "Alex, this is so not fair! You don't freeze!" Charlie said jokingly. She and her sister then noticed the look on their fellow triplet's face. "What's wrong? What happened? What did we miss?" Trish asked quickly. Wyatt came up to them, since Mel was busy with Alex. "Mom's here, and alive." he said, looking into their eyes, which immediately began to water. "Mom?" Charlie asked in a very quiet voice. Wyatt just nodded sadly. "Okay, down to business." Chris said. Emotions rarely got in his way, and this was no exception. "We have to figure out who exists." he said. "How do we do that?" Wyatt asked. "Try to use our powers." all four girls said at once. "How did you... never mind." Wyatt said. Far be it for him to question the wacky minds of his little sisters. "Okay, let's try it." Mel said, getting back on track. All six of them tried to orb, or glimmer, to the other side of the room. A few seconds later, a figure appeared on the other side of the room, followed closely by two more figures.  
  
The triplets looked over at their older siblings, who were still on the other side of the room. "Looks like you guys exist." Charlie said, stating the obvious. "Let's hope you didn't mess up on the power potion too, Chris." Mel said smartly. "Oh, hardy har har." Chris said sarcastically. "Okay, enough you two. Mel, you have the potion and spell, right?" Wyatt asked. Mel nodded and took the said items out of her pockets. She handed a vial to each of the boys and kept one for herself. "Okay, we drink this, then say the spell." she directed. They all drank the liquid in their vials and said:  
  
Out of place  
Out of time  
Help me take back  
What is mine  
  
Whitelighter powers  
Witch as well  
Take them to  
The correct Halliwell  
  
Little lights were created during the spell, and they descended into the three siblings. "Did it work?" Wyatt asked. A nearby vase and book both exploded, and Chris and Mel both nodded. "I guess you're right." Wyatt said, looking at the remanints of the recently destroyed items. "Of course we are. Now-"  
  
"Chris!" Mel was interrupted by Piper's shout. She had come back from checking on her sons, and immediately noticed the older version of her youngest son. All six kids looked at each other as their mother ran over and hugged a very confused Chris. When she pulled away, she took a good look at him. "You look younger." she said, tilting her head to the side. "Um, whatever you say, mom." Chris said, his voice not masking the fact that he was surprised and happy at the same time. "Chris!" Wyatt and Mel yelled at the same time. They didn't want their family to know that they were family. "What? She already knew who I was!" Chris said defensively, putting his hands up in the air.  
  
Piper then looked over at the only other moving male in the room. "And you must be Wyatt." she said, smiling. She saw that her kids were turning in to handsome young men. "Uh, yeah." Wyatt said, surprised his mother had guessed who he was as well. "Now," she said. "Whichever one of you froze my family, would you kindly unfreeze them? They deserve to meet their teenage nephews." Piper said, still looking adoringly at Wyatt and Chris. Mel threw up her hands, and unfroze everyone except Leo.  
  
"Wha-what?" Phoebe exclaimed, looking bewilderedly around the room. "What happened?" Paige asked. "Mel!" Haleigh and Peyton screamed. They may have been three, but they were still very annoyed when they were left out of things. "Who's Mel?" all three Charmed Ones asked at the same time. "Me." Mel said, raising her hand. But, Phoebe and Paige weren't paying attention to her. "Chris!" they exclaimed excitedly. They ran over to hug him, just as their older sister had done. After they pulled away, Chris said, "Not that I'm mad, but why am I getting all the hugs?" Chris asked. "Remember your other self coming back in time?" Trish asked. "Yeah." Chris said, his voice asking her to continue. "Well, this must be soon after that." Alex concluded. "Oh, okay." Chris said. "Okay, I hate to interrupt this, but I think we should move into another room. I mean, this attic is pretty crowded." Mel said. "Oh, right." Phoebe said. "How about we go into the conservatory? There we can really meet our... visitors." Paige suggested. The group of twelve left the attic, leaving behind a still-frozen Leo.  
  
(6)(6)  
  
AN: Okay, there's the end of another chapter. I know, it's confusing towards the end, but it will become a bit clearer soon. The bit at the beginning is from OUR SONG by M2M! 


	7. The Third Child

AN: I'm updating! Praise me! Teehee, JK!  
  
syadynair - Thanks so much for reviewing! Tee hee. I'll try my best to get rid of it.  
piperleo4eva - Yeah, it's weird for them all to see their moms. Yeah, Leo should unfreeze soon, but that doesn't mean that Mel is gonna let him, because, in case you couldn't tell, she don't like him very much. Yeah, that would be cool. Correction: it WILL be cool!  
erica - Thanks so much!  
Magical Princess - Thanks!  
OTHCharmedFreak - I know, I'm really sorry about the delay. Thanks for the review!  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
(6)(6)  
  
And I have the sense to recognize  
But I don't know how to let you go  
I don't know how to let you go  
I don't know how to let you go.  
  
(6)(6)  
  
A few minutes and a couple thousand hugs later, the twelve were settled in the sitting room. Piper, Phoebe and Paige were sitting on one of the couches, still looking lovingly at the two oldest boys. Wyatt, Chris, Mel, Haleigh, and Peyton were sitting on the other one, the twins in Mel's lap. Trish and Alex were sharing one of the chairs, and Charlie had the other one all to herself. Roxi was in Wyatt and Chris' playpen.  
  
When everything was quieted down, the three adults looked around. "Where's Leo?" Paige asked, looking at the kids on the couch and chairs. "Still frozen." Mel replied simply. "What?!?" all three Charmed Ones asked at once. "He's. Still. Frozen." Wyatt said slowly, like they were idiots. That caused their attention to be turned to Wyatt. "Well, then, unfreeze him." Piper said. "I can't." Wyatt said. "You can't?!? What do you mean 'you can't'?" she asked, panicking. She began thinking that her ex would never be unfrozen. "I can't. That means I don't have the power to freeze." Wyatt said. "Then who does?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I do." Mel said. "Then, unfreeze him." Piper commanded. "No." Mel said, looking annoyed. "No?!?" Piper said. "Well, why not?" Phoebe asked, a bit calmer than her older sister. "We don't like him." Wyatt, Chris, and Mel said at the same time. "And I don't want to deal with him right now." Mel finished. Piper turned angrily to Wyatt and Chris, the only two that she knew were her future children. "You two tell your little friend here to unfreeze your father right now, or I'm going to ground your young a- butts." Piper instructed, stopping herself from cussing in front of the young ones. "Now, which would we rather do?" Wyatt asked, turning to his little brother. "Deal with a bastard, have mom ground our asses, deal with a bastard, have mom ground our asses." Chris said, moving his hands up and down as if he was weighing the possibilities.  
  
"Watch your language, mister." Piper scolded, pointing her finger at Chris. "Oh, don't bother, he'll do it again soon, anyway." Charlie said from her chair. "Yeah." Alex agreed, nodding her head. "It's not like we haven't heard it before." Trish said, looking over at the three teenagers on the couch, smirking. Paige and Phoebe were trying really, really hard to hold in their giggles.  
  
"Anyway," Wyatt cut in, "I would rather deal with a bastard." he said. "Yeah, same here, I don't like having my ass grounded." Chris said. "But, I thought you did, because it happens so often." Mel said, smiling fake sweet at Chris. "Ha ha." Chris said, annoyed. "But, at least I'm not a goody-goody." retorted Chris. "Oh, but at least I don't hold five different jobs a month." Mel said, fire in her eyes. "Yeah, well, at least I get jobs!" Chris said, his voice rising. "Well, at least I actually take care of the kids!" Mel said, her voice rising above Chris'. "Yeah? Well, at least I...  
  
"  
"Okay, enough!" Phoebe yelled, cutting Chris off. "Do they do this often?" Paige asked the other kids timidly. The triplets and twins nodded their heads vigorously, and Wyatt said "Uh-huh. All the time." "We do NOT!" Chris and Mel shouted at the same time, causing Wyatt to roll his eyes, and everyone else to look at them like they were crazy. "Well, maybe we do..." Mel admitted, looking at Chris. "But that's not the point." Chris added. "I do believe it was, bro." Wyatt said, sniggering. The response from his little brother was a smack on the back of the head.  
  
"Ahem." Piper cleared her throat. "Back to the REAL point. Unfreeze Leo NOW!" Piper demanded. Mel immediately got intimidated, as her mother's tone could have scared the hair of a cat. She raised her hands, flicked them, then said "There. Happy?" "Not quite." Piper said, with a smirk. 'This girl, whoever she is, is too tough and cocky for her own good.' she thought. Then, she looked up at the ceiling and called "Leo! Get your ass down here!" 'Your nice ass, very sexy ass. An ass that I did enjoy seeing last night.' she thought, smiling inside.  
  
Suddenly, two things happened. Leo orbed in, and Wyatt shouted "Gross!" They all looked back and forth between the two, thinking Wyatt had said that on account of Leo. Before Wyatt could say anymore, though, Leo spoke up. "Piper, why'd you freeze me? I wanted to say hi to Chris!" He was facing the three women, so he couldn't see any of the kids. "Then look behind you." Phoebe said, pointing at Chris, who was directly behind Leo. He turned around and smiled. "Chris!" he said happily, and moved in to hug him. Chris reacted by orbing out, and orbing back in when Leo pulled away. Leo then sat down next to Piper, looking hurt by his younger son's actions.  
  
Paige, knowing that then would be the right time to change the subject, turned to a grimacing Wyatt and asked "Why are you so grossed out?" "Oh, um... it was something I heard." he said, as if that explained everything. "What do you mean 'something you heard?'" Piper asked. "Oh, he's a telepath." Charlie said. She immediately received glares from her three oldest siblings. "What?" she asked, shrugging. "Future consequences!" Chris said, a bit angry that his youngest sister had given away one of their powers. "What thought grossed you out?" Phoebe asked, really getting curious. "Oh, it was just something mom thought about um..." he trailed off, not wanting to divulge his mom's private thoughts, but not wanting to disappoint one of his favorite aunts. "What?" Paige urged. Wyatt looked over at Piper, who was beginning to figure out what thought her oldest son meant.  
  
"Dad's ass." Wyatt said quickly. Piper sort of expected that, and came up with a quick excuse. "Yeah, I thought for him to get his ass down here or I'd beat the crap out of it. What else would I think about my ex-husband's ass?" she said quickly. "Wait a minute... ex husband?" Chris asked. "How old is little Chris?" Mel asked, looking at the four adults in front of her. "Just over two months. Why?" Piper asked, looking at the teenager. "Just over two months?" she repeated, looking at her brothers. "But, they're broken up... I couldn't use my powers..." Mel said, all three of the teenagers looking at each other, all their eyes widening in realization. "Oh, gross! Gross!" Mel shouted, while Chris was shuddering and Wyatt was grimacing.  
  
Everyone stared at the three, not quite putting the pieces together. "What?" Paige asked, completely confused. The three turned to Piper and Leo, just staring at them for a moment. "You two are despicable." Chris said, a hint of a smile on his face. The four adults stared at him, still befuddled. "You two just HAD to go and conceive me, now didn't you?" Mel said, a smirk on her face. "Two one night stands, yet you refuse to get back together." Wyatt added. "Tsk, tsk, tsk." Wyatt, Chris, and Mel said, shaking their heads.  
  
(9)(9)  
  
An: Okay, that's a bad ending, but oh well. That bit at the beginning is DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO by Sarah McLachlan. 


End file.
